Tool carrying case



Nov. 23, 1954 J. EVANS TOOL CARRYING CASE Filed Dec. 2, 1953 INVENTOR. Jaw/a 2 042726,

United States Patent Ofitice TOOL CARRYING CASE Jack Evans, Des Plaines, Ill., assignor to Century Display Manufacturing Company, Inc., ration of Illinois Application December 2, 1953, Serial No. 395,763 3 Claims. (Cl. 312-2725) Chicago, -Ill., a corpo- This application relates, generally, to carrying cases and it has particular relation to innovations and improvements in carrying cases for portable power tools.

The object of the invention is to provide a rugged, easy- ;to-manufacture carrying case for portable power tools 3 be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

For-a more complete understanding of the nature and scope of the invention reference may now be had to the following detailed description thereof taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view, partly broken away so as to show the interior, of a carrying case forming one embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken through one end of the carrying case of Fig. l and along line 2-2 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view corresponding to Fig. 2 but showing the case in the fully opened position; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view on enlarged scale taken on line 44 of Fig. 2.

While the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings is particularly suited for use with power tools, it will be understood that it has utility in connection with other types of articles.

In Fig. l a carrying case is indicated generally at 5 which comprises two mating case halves or sections 6 and 7. The halves 6 and 7 have the same shape and construction but one is a left-hand section and the other is a right-hand section. The halves or sections 6 and 7 are rectangular in cross section but it will be understood that the opposite side walls may be curved or tapered and that the tops of the halves may be rounded or upwardly tapered.

The two halves 6 and 7 of the carrying case may be secured in their closed position by a pair of conventional latches which are indicated at 88, it being understood that one part of each latch will be fastened to one case half while the other will be fastened to the other with a suitable fastening means connecting the two. A handle 19 is secured to the top of one of the halves 6 or 7 for carrying the case in closed condition.

The bottom mating edges of the case halves 6 and 7 are hinged together by means of a hinge 11 one half of which is secured to a longitudinal upturned channel or flange portion 12 integrally formed along a bottom edge of the case half 6 while the other section of the hinge is secured to a corresponding and opposing flange 13 similarly formed along a bottom edge of the case half 7. This particular type of hinge and arrangement for attaching the same is well suited for a carrying case which is formed or fabricated from sheet metal. However, it will be understood that the mating bottom edges of halves could be hinged together by other forms and types of hinge arrangements.

A horizontal platform 14 is supported within the inerior of the case 5 and serves as support for a power 2,695,210 Patented Nov. 23,- 1954 tool such as a power hand saw indicated in broken outline at 15 in Fig. I. The platform 14 may have one or more slots 16 formed therein down through which the blade of the saw for example may project as shown. These slots also serve to locate and retain the power tool in the correct position on the platform 14 when the carrying case 5 is closed.

The platform 14 is preferably stamped from sheet metal and has a pair of depending panel portions or tabs 18 and 20 formed on the opposite ends thereof. The panels 18-18 and 20-20 serve as support panels for the platform 14 in conjunction with two pairs of link members 21 and 22. The links 21 and 22 havethe same construction except that one is left-handed and one is right-handed. Each of the links 21 and 22 has an offset bottom end portion which is connected to the main portion of the link by means of an intermediate horizontal portion integrally connected thereto as is indicated at 23 in Fig. 4. The upper end of each link 21 is pivotally connected to the adjacent depending panel 18 by means of a rivet 24. Preferably the rivets 24 pass through the panels 18 adjacent the upper edge thereof and near the platform 14. In like manner the upper end of each link 22 is pivotally secured to a depending panel 20 by means of a rivet 25. The bottom offset portions of the links 21 are pivotally connected to the adjacent end wall of the case half 6 by means of rivets 26 adjacent the bottom thereof while the bottom offset portions of the links, 22 are likewise secured to the bottoms of the adjacent end walls of the case section 7 by means of rivets 27.

The smoothness with which the case 5 may be opened and closed, and the stability of the horizontal platform 14, is improved by providing each of the depending panel support members 18 and 20 with an arcuate slot 28 and 30 respectively through which projects the shank of rivets 31 and 32, respectively. The rivets 31 are rigidly secured to the links 21 while the rivets 32 are secured to the links 22.

When the carrying case 5 is closed the horizontal support platform 14 and the supporting ararngement and parts therefor occupy the relative positions shown in Fig. 2. Upon opening the case 5 to the fully opened position shown in Fig. 3 wherein the case halves 6 and 7 are turned down flat on their sides, the support platform 14 and the supporting parts therefor will occupy the relative positions shown. The stability and rigidity of the carrying case in the open position is augmented by a proper dimensioning and designing of the supporting parts. Thus, it will be noted that the flanges 12 and 13 on the bottom mating edges of the halves 6 and 7 turn and ride up to the position shown in Fig. 3 and in doing so pass through the rectangular slot formed between the inner edges 33 and 34 of each pair of depending support panels 18 and 20, respectively. In the fully opened position the opposite ends of the platform 14 rest upon the-flanges 12 and 13 as indicated at 35 in Fig. 3.

The support of the platform 14 is further stabilized and strengthened in the fully opened position by the fact that the pins or rivets 31 and 32 rest against the inner ends of each of the cooperating slots 28 and 30 respectively.

During the opening and closing of the carrying case 5 the foregoing arrangement for supporting and stabilizing the horizontal platform 14 also serves to facilitate the free and easy opening of the carrying case 5 while maintaining the full stability of the platform 14. Thus, the longitudinal flanges 12 and 13 of the mating bottom edges of the case halves 6 and 7 slide along the opposing edges 33 and 34 between each pair of the depending support panels 18 and 20 thereby attaining a smooth guiding action. Likewise, the passage of the rivets 31 and 32 through the slots 28 and 30 respectively also serve to steady and guide the moving parts.

When the carrying case Sis fully opened the power tool 15 is fully accessible and may be easily removed from and replaced on the platform 14. To attain access to the power tool when the case is closed it is merely necessary to open the latches or catches 88 and turn down the opposite case halves 6 and 7 as shown in Fig. 3.

It will be apparent that certain minor changes in design details may be made in the construction described above and shown in the accompanying drawings without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore all matter described above and shown in the drawings is intended to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. 7

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a carrying case having a pair of mating lefthand and right-hand halves with the mating inner bottom edges thereof hinged together so that the halves may be swung from their vertical closed-together position to a horizontal opened np position and having fastening means for securing said' halves together in their vertical closed condition, the combination of a horizontal platform member within said case extending into both of said case halves, a pair of vertical support panels depending down from each opposite end of said platform member with one panel of each pair disposed adjacent the end wall of one of said case halves, a sup port link for each of said four panels, means for pivotally fastening the upper end of each of said links to one of said panels adjacent said platform member, and additional means for pivotally fastening the lower end of each of said links to the end wall of the adjacent case half near the bottom thereof.

2. A carrying case comprising, in combination, a pair of left-hand and right-hand ease halves which mate together on their open sides to form the shell of the carrying case, vertical flanges extending along the inner bottom edges of said halves, a two-part hinge securing said case halves together along their inner bottom edges with one hinge part secured to one of said flanges and the second hinge part secured to the second flange whereby when said thereof, and each carrying case is opened and said case halves are turned dowrr ontheir sides saidvertical flanges rise and turnout to a level horizontal position, a horizontal article-support platform disposed symmetrically within said case halves; a pair of support panels depending vertically from the opposite ends of said platform with the inner opposing edges of said panels forming a guideway for said vertical flanges when said case is opened or closed with the opposite ends of said platform resting on said flanges when said case is open and said flanges lie in the same horizontal level, a support link for each of said. depending support panels, each support link having a fiat upper portion which fits fiatwise against the adjacent support panel and an offset flat bottom portion which fits flatwise against the adjacent end wall of one of said case halves, a rivet pivotally attaching the upper end of each link to the upper end of the adjacent support panel, a second rivet pivotally attaching the bottom end of each link to the adjacent case half side wall adjacent the bottom of said links carrying a pin or rivet in said upper fiat portion thereof which projects through an arcuate guide slot formed in the adjacent support panel, said slot being of such curvature and length that the pin therein fits against the outer end of the slot when the case is closed and against the inner end when the case is opened.

3. The carrying case of claim 2 wherein saidhorizontal platform and said support panels depending vertically therefrom are in the form of one integral stamping.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 865,322 Wigington Sept. 3, 1907 1,995,799 Doniger Mar. 26, 1935 

